The fastest drivers in Rali Vinho da Madeira Qualifying had priority in choosing their starting order for the first stage of the event organised by Club Sports da Madeira. The trend at the event, which took place at the Vespas discotheque, was to opt for the middle places out of the 21 available. This choice meant that the starting order for tomorrow, 2 August, was headed by Ernesto Cunha in a Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo, followed by Ricardo Filipe in a Skoda Fabia R5 and Miguel Caires in another Skoda Fabia Raly2 Evo. The starting order for today, 1 August, is reversed. The starting order for the first two sections of stage 1 will be published at 3 pm.

As in previous years, the winning teams of the 2024 Rali Vinho da Madeira will each receive a selected bottle of Madeira Wine. This gift has been kindly provided by three companies linked to the production of Madeira Wine and is the result of a partnership between the RVM and IVBAM. The winners will therefore receive 1st prize - Barbeito Sercial 1978 2nd prize - Pereira D'Oliveira Tinta Negra 1995 (medium dry) 3rd prize - H.M. Borges Malvasia 20 years old In addition to these prizes, IVBAM offered: 12 bottles of Madeira Wine - 10 years old Tinta Negra Semi-Sweet - in the stewards' room and 3 bottles of Madeira Wine - 10 years old Tinta Negra Semi-Sweet, for the toast at the awards ceremony.  

Diego Ruiloba, at the wheel of a Citroën C3 Rally2, was the fastest driver in the Qualifying round of the 65th Rali Vinho da Madeira, which will start competitively this afternoon in Funchal. The young Spanish driver clocked 1.51.252, 0.437 seconds less than the second fastest driver, Italian Simone Campedelli, in a Skoda Fabia RS Rally2. The third fastest time belonged to Briton Kris Meeke, in a Hyundai i20N Rally2, with a time of 1.51.895. The fastest driver from Madeira was João Silva, author of the seventh best time in a Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo.

All the competitors entered for the 65th Rali Vinho da Madeira attended the administrative checks that took place this afternoon at Praça CR7. The technical checks are still taking place at Pier 6 in the Port of Funchal. At 21:45 the Amended Entry List will be published, with any possible change of navigator or vehicle, as well as the Starting Order for Qualifying.

Tomorrow, August 1st, the 65th edition of Rali Vinho da Madeira will take to the road. The event has been organised since 1959 by Cube Sports da Madeira and is part of the FIA European Rally Trophy, the Portuguese and Madeiran championships and the Peugeot Rally Cup Ibérica. In an event also marked by a great concern for environmental sustainability, the event directed by Pedro M. Araújo has gathered a list of 85 entries that promises excitement and competition over three days on the island's roads. With a total distance of 666.63 kilometres, of which 189.70 are on a selective route, what is a true feast for the archipelago is divided into 2 stages and 15 classifications. The sporting programme kicks off tomorrow morning with Qualifying, a session in which the fastest drivers can choose their starting order for the first stage, and, in the late afternoon, the Cidade do Funchal super-special, which takes place, framed by tens of thousands of spectators, in the downtown area of the host city. The remaining first stage, to be held on Friday 2nd August, includes a double pass through Campo de Golfe, Palheiro Ferreiro and Santana, while the second stage, the following day, includes two passes through Câmara de Lobos, Ponta do Sol, Calheta and the iconic Rosário. The start ceremony takes place tomorrow at 4 p.m on the Avenida do Mar e das Comunidades Madeirenses, which will also host the prize-giving ceremony on Saturday 3rd August at 6:30 p.m. In terms of sport, interest is expected in the race for the top positions from, among others, drivers such as Italian Simone Campedelli, Spaniard Diego Ruiloba, Briton Kris Meeke, national championship protagonists such as Armindo Araújo, José Pedro Fontes or Ricardo Teodósio and Madeiran specialists João Silva, Miguel Nunes, Miguel Caires and Alexandre Camacho, the event's record winner. The public will be thrilled by the best racing cars in the world today, including the Toyota GR Yaris Rally2.

The Portuguese Automobile and Karting Federation, in partnership with the International Automobile Federation and Rali Vinho da Madeira, held a Forum on Environmental Sustainability in Motorsport this afternoon at the Colégio dos Jesuítas in Funchal. Pedro Barros Pereira, responsible for this area at FPAK, Bárbara Silva, FIA Sustainability Director, José Paulo Fontes, President of Rali Vinho da Madeira Organising Committee, Cora Teixeira, Director of Tourism Qualification Services, Nelson Correia and Fernando Mascôto Spínola, FPAK Environmental Delegates, Juan Santos, Environmental Commissioner, José Pedro Fontes, Armindo Araújo and João Silva, drivers, Pedro Melvill Araújo, member of the FPAK Board and Clerk of the Course of Rali Vinho da Madeira, Hélder Spínola, from the University of Madeira, António Filipe, Director of the Institute of Forests and Nature Conservation, and Elsa Fernandes, Vice Rector of the University of Madeira.